Monday, September 17, 2012

The Summer is eeking by and the Kids are finally in school and in a new curriculum that makes me want to don an apron, knit and be the homemaker the Lord would have me be.

Yes. It is that good.

We have a new schedule, taking care of Kindergarten in the morning and then schooling the older four after lunch. And I say "we" as in my hubby and I.

Together.

Yes it is that wonderful.

We are getting our groove back here in Ohio. For a while there I thought I had left it in New York.

Kids are relaxing, folding clothes, practicing piano, and hiding in the downstairs leggo world while I type.

The house feels more like home.

A month or two ago I did something drastic.

Something totally NOT me, and that has made all the difference here on the home front.

I gave our bed a makeover.

Well, drastic for ME anyhow.

I so missed our old bedroom when we moved here. I missed it's hugeness. I missed how it was a little cave of togetherness for us with adorable wrap around the ceiling book cases to display our love of a good read. I missed that I could shut the door and sew in there, could chat with friends on my bed and feel like we had our own little suite.

The main bedroom here is quite cramped. Or I was plum spoiled. Probably the latter.

Either way it was the one thing holding me back from going "all in" here.

Yeah, I know. But it was.

No wall hangings, no drapes, no nothing in there. My motivation to settle was just lost somewhere. And then he said it. My he. He told me to do whatever it takes to make it our room again.

And in some melancholy funk I wondered if I ever could.

Could I make it a place again where we could get on our knees for friends and family and cry out to the Lord? Could I make it a sanctuary where we could hide after a long weary day of training littles? Could I make it a place where coffee and tea cups stacked from long nights of laughing about things that were only funny to us?

Well, I guess I could try.

I decided to begin with the bed. We hadn't had a new comforter and sheet set since our lovely blue flowered and checked ones that my Mom bought us as a wedding present. It gave up the ghost after the sixth little made her appearance. I so hated to part with it!!! I have fond memories attached to it. I LOVED coming in the room there on Haywood and realizing that I had a bed set. Straight from the department store. Big deal to me, and more money then I want to acknowledge my sweet Mother spending.....

After Alayna was born, someone gave us a gracious gift card to Walmart and we decided to get a quilt to replace the hole ridden comforter. It was great, but when a man in our congregation in Humphrey decided to drop a new mattress in our lap the quilt could only make an "appearance" on the side of the bed that visitors would see when they entered the room! This also made us try to snatch covers for ourselves in the middle of the night, only to awake with a 50/50 chance of being covered.

I usually lost that war.

So about a week ago I saw this bedding. Delightful actually. I was aghast at it's cost, but I knew that was it. I ran my hand down the sheets and squeezed the pillows and took the plunge.

It had a bed skirt. Something I have wanted for such a long long time. It was another floral, red, and checked on the other side. It was perfect.

Now I am not saying that if you are in a funk go and max out a credit card. I was there with official sanction to make our nest, OUR nest again. Permission was granted without me asking for it. I was not putting my hope of a good life in this bed set, but I did hope for a good night's sleep where all God's children could have equal coverage.

And so I swallowed hard and bumbled to the counter. I buried my "Deer in the headlights" look in a couple of shams and handed them my money..... and left. I attributed the "sucking" sound I heard as I got in the car to the children's college fund begging for mercy.

I got home and hid the whole shebang in the closet until after church, when I could hurry home and make the whole bed, light some candles and surprise Joel with the hope of a new haven for us.

He loved it.

I loved it.

I kept waiting for Better Homes and Gardens to call and ask to photograph us in our bed, but they never did........must be because we still have nothing on the windows.........

The first morning we woke up the first words from Joel were, "HEY! LOOK! We BOTH have covers!" And all God's women said, "Amen."

Again, a new bed set is not the key to happiness or wedded bliss. Though equal coverage does give you a shot in the arm.

For us it was more of a "Ok. We can do this. We can move twice in two years, bury our heart here and find a new spot to hide from the world."

We are anxious to get the kids in there corner of the world so we can soak into ours at night and remember just what a wonderful life we do share together.

Who knows what craziness is right around the corner for us here in Ohio, but we are getting our groove back. Even if it is one bed at a time.

Meet our Family

I am "Wife" to my college sweetheart Joel, I am "Mom" to six children, Isaac- 13, Abigail- 12, Caleb-10, Nathan- 9, Anna- 6 and Alayna- 4. We are not your "normal" family. We live simply, love much, learn something new everyday and seek to be a real blessing to others and a witness for Christ here in our corner of the globe. I am busy, as all Mom's and Wives are, but love having the opportunity to jot down some things that will make us all laugh later!